1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an air bag system which includes an air bag capable of covering a front surface side of a front pillar of a vehicle.
2. Related Art
There are various types of conventional air bag systems which are arranged so that an air bag is inflated so as to cover a front surface side of a front pillar of a vehicle to thereby prevent a pedestrian from being flung directly against the front pillar when the vehicle is involved in a collision with the pedestrian.
In one of those air bag systems, a folded air bag is stowed in a recessed groove at a front surface side of a front pillar and is then covered with a resin garnish. When an inflator installed within the front pillar is activated to supply an inflation gas into the air bag therefrom, the air bag push opens the resin garnish and is deployed to be inflated so as to cover the front surface side of the front pillar (for example, refer to JP-A-7-108903).
In another air bag system, a folded air bag is stowed in a cowl below a rear end of a hood panel and when activated, the air bag is caused to project through a gap defined between the rear end of the hood panel and the cowl so that the air bag, which is now completely inflated, is disposed on a front surface side of a front pillar (for example, JP-A-2002-36986 and JP-A-2008-222110).
In the conventional air bag systems, however, there still exists room for improvement with respect to the lateral deviation of the air bag towards the outside of the vehicle when the air bag is inflated completely for receiving the pedestrian.
Namely, in the air bag system described in JP-A-7-108903, there is no disclosure or implication of a construction for supporting the air bag while suppressing the lateral deviation of the air bag when it is inflated completely. In the air bag system described in JP-A-2002-36986, the means for preventing the lateral deviation of the air bag is a stay which is disposed below the hood panel where the air bag is stowed. This stay is disposed on a lower end side of the air bag and is spaced so far apart from an upper end side of the air bag that the lateral deviation of the upper end side of the air bag towards the outside of the vehicle cannot be prevented accurately. Thus, there has been room for improvement with respect to an accurate suppression of the lateral deviation of the whole of the air bag.
Further, in the air bag system of JP-A-2008-222110, the air bag is designed to be bent in section when it is inflated completely so as to cover a front pillar and a front side window. However, there has been devised no countermeasure for preventing the lateral deviation of the air bag towards the outside of the vehicle.
In the event that the air bag deviates from the front surface side of the front pillar towards the outside of the vehicle, the air bag falls on the front side window side, whereby the front surface side of the front pillar, which needs to be covered by the air bag, is exposed largely.